Paul Garred is probably best known as a founding member of The Kooks, the English indie rock band that are still going strong fourteen years after they burst onto the scene, with their debut album selling more than a million copies in the UK.

Since leaving the band due to an injury in 2011, Paul has been working on his own material, most recently joining forces with Henry Carpenter.

It is due to this new partnership that he got involved with The Quentin Dentin Show, a sci-fi musical about an unhappy young couple who allow a mysteriously enigmatic figure to help them achieve a shot at happiness - but at what cost?

After receiving rave reviews in its iterations at the Tristan Bates Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe, it seemed only natural an album was to follow.

Paul co-founded The Kooks (Image: Getty Images)

We talked to Paul about his experiences producing a musical theatre album, the future of musicals, and what the future holds for him and wring partner, Henry...

Can you tell us a little bit about how you got involved with producing The Quentin Dentin Show?

In 2014, I began my search for a musical theatre writing partner - more specifically - a lyricist. I felt comfortable writing pop lyrics, but with what I had in mind for my next project, I needed someone who completely understood the musical theatre vernacular, and how to thread a story through lyrics. I enrolled in a writing course called Book, Music & Lyrics, where I met Henry Carpenter.

We understood each other from the first moment we wrote together and it became apparent that we had something we could build on. Since then we have worked four days every week on a new project.

Henry was finishing off a show in the early weeks of the course which was called ‘The Quentin Dentin Show’. He was starring as the main character in an early iteration of the show in Kingston.

I went to see this production, not only in Kingston in 2015, but also in other iterations Off West End in 2016 and 2017. Because we were working so intensively on our own project together, coffee breaks would lead to talking about The Quentin Dentin Show’s progress.

As our own working process progressed, it seemed obvious that I would join the creative team and produce the record to help the show move forward.

Was it always your intention to go into producing?

Music production is something that goes hand in hand with my writing process. Gone are the days where every band writes in the rehearsal room. Instead they use the studio, or a laptop, to get an immediate response from an idea or sound they are trying to create.

First and foremost, I’m a songwriter - but I occasionally find myself working on other people’s projects as well. I have spent many hours in studios as a musician watching how the producer and the engineer work the board, trying to decipher how they could make a band sound so good.

I guess I’ve always been quite inquisitive in the whole process of making a record.

How much freedom did you have when it came to producing the album?

One of my stipulations when producing this album was that I didn’t want to have dialogue, as I felt that the album needed to catch the audience’s attention with music.

A small amount of underscoring a speech would be fine in the middle of a song, but this album should be treated as a punk/new wave album of the late 1970s/early 80s.

Henry’s score leans on this particular period, so it made sense to base the album’s ideology and ethos on the way some of my favourite albums from that period presented themselves.

Having said all of that, the album needed to feel modern as well. I had full creative freedom to change things I thought could be improved, cut songs that didn’t help the message of the album, and build my version of what I thought would enhance the standard of presentation.

The Quentin Dentin Show is out now

What do you think sets this particular show apart from others?

What got me about the show when I first saw it was that it had energy, the same sort of energy that my shows had when I was behind a drum kit playing in my band. It also has great lyrics and a unique main character in Quentin Dentin.

Do you think putting out an album of your show is enough these days to get it the exposure you need to progress further?

All I know is that if an album has been carefully developed and can reach an audience, a show has a chance.

It would be too loose to think that just making an album will suffice to get exposure, but then that’s where the marketing comes in. The album is the steady foundation that gives a show a platform.

Its permanence compared to a live show means that it is firmly ensconced in the vernacular, and audiences, if they really like something, will help to promote the show via word-of-mouth.

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What's next for Quentin?

While it’s early days, Henry and I have created a new vision for the show that enhances the story aspect and includes 12 more songs. The idea is to improve from the album’s platform.

We hope to get the chance to show audiences a new iteration - as long as there is an appetite for it from the album’s exposure.

Are there any composers/producers/directors you take inspiration from in the theatre world?

Personally I love Andrew Lloyd-Webber for his understanding of storytelling through composition, Hal Prince for his conviction and vision as a director/producer, and Giacomo Puccini for his heartfelt melodies that get me every time I see/hear La Boheme.

Hamilton is an exception to the status quo (Image: Internet Unknown)

There are a lot of jukebox musicals and film-based shows in the works right now; what are your thoughts on those getting a shot over lesser-known but original ideas?

The market has been fairly saturated with jukebox musicals for a number of years. I presume that they’re easier to put together in many ways - well, for everyone except the book writer, who has to hash together a story that vaguely makes sense of the material given.

For every Mamma Mia, we get a hat-load of also-rans.

For me, bar a few minor exceptions - that’s not what I love about musical theatre and opera. In order to release a new show as a writer, I feel you need to think bigger. Story lines are crucial. Henry and I are more concerned with writing original material from scratch.

Our backgrounds in theatre, music and our mutual love of film dictate that something new is important. In a world where Hollywood is running low on fresh ideas and, more crucially, is reticent about giving voice to new writing talent, musical theatre however is finding its feet with new shows.

Hamilton seems to be the exception to the status quo, because that on paper is one of the best ideas to have been written since Jesus Christ Superstar.

I am thankful that in both those examples, they were devised by fairly new writers on the scene. That kinda thing gives me great comfort that there is always a chance if the idea is good.

Are you working on more projects with Henry, and when can we expect to hear about the next one?

Henry and I have written a new show which will be released in 2019 as an album. I can’t reveal too much at this stage, but we are looking forward to everyone hearing the piece.

The Quentin Dentin Show Original Cast Recording is released on September 14th by Elsy Entertainment and is available on all good streaming and download platforms.